Violence on Television

The monitoring study was jointly conducted by a group of researchers in
close association with an audience panel

The
monitoring study was jointly conducted by a group of researchers in close
association with an audience panel. The researchers were involved in designing
the project which included determining sample size, evolving the monitoring
format, and the methodology for tabulation and analysis.

The
audience panel provided quantitative and qualitative feedback. The panel
consisted of nine young viewers (18-25 years old: 4 male and 5 female). The
monitors were given a pre-tested format, which ensured both quantitative and
qualitative data-collection. The monitoring was done while the programmes were
actually being aired. To that extent, the responses of the panel members were
spontaneous and those of the average viewer rather than the deliberate scrutiny
of a researcher. However, the research team rechecked the consistency of the
data.

Quantitative
Findings

In
all, there were 759 distinct acts of violence across the 5 channels over a
period of nine days.
In proportion to the hours monitored Zee had the highest acts of violence and
DD1 had the lowest.

Channel

Acts

Zee

365

STAR

188

DD2

80

Sony

64

DD1

62

Types of
Violence

·In all 59 types of violence, both audio and visual, both
physical and psychological were identified. Of these threats, slapping,
screaming, shooting, assaulting, expletives, pushing, clobbering, stabbing,
mental torture, eerie soundtracks, threatening music are extremely prominent.
These categories of violence account for over 50 per cent of the total acts
depicted. Hence much of the violence is explicit and graphic.

·Some depictions of violence are unnecessarily lengthy.

·Nearly one-third of the depictions (283 acts out of a total
of 759 acts) appeared in 25 per cent or 21 out of 81 episodes monitored. These
21 episodes were in the genre of horror/ murder/ mystery/ suspense thrillers.

·Some of these serials are often the most violent or
disturbing - especially for children. For example: X-Zone and Anhonee (Zee)
together had 118 or 53 and 65 acts of violence respectively; Aahat (Sony) had
13 acts of violence; Kohra (STAR Plus) had 30 acts of violence in a single
episode

The remaining two-third acts are depicted in the 60
episodes of drama serials monitored. In fact, family drama serials or
programmes specifically targetting children are no less violent. In a single
episode of the serial Gumraah there were 32 acts, while there were 17 acts of
violence in the child-specific Shaktimaan.

The new term for self censorship is voluntary censorship, as proposed by companies like Netflix and Hotstar. ET reports that streaming video service Amazon Prime is opposing a move by its peers to adopt a voluntary censorship code in anticipation of the Indian government coming up with its own rules. Amazon is resisting because it fears that it may alienate paying subscribers.

Clearly, the run to the 2019 elections is on. A journalist received a call from someone saying they were from Aajtak channel and were conducting a survey, asking whom she was going to vote for in 2019. On being told that her vote was secret, the caller assumed she wasn't going to vote for 'Modiji'. The caller, a woman, also didn't identify herself. A month or two earlier the same journalist received a call, this time from a man, asking if she was going to vote for the BSP.